2) Could the article encourage other potentially interested parties to bid?

3) Could Harbour vary its offer above or below the reported $5.30/sh?

4) What is the probability that no bid eventuates, leading to a decline in the share price? Our assessment is that Harbour's reported approach is credible and could lead to a formal offer, but investor reaction to the offer price over the coming days will likely determine the next steps.

A bid for Santos may trigger counteroffers for the oil and gas producer that has stakes in some of the world's cheapest liquefied natural gas.

The Adelaide-based company surged the most in a year after saying it received and rejected a $9.5 billion takeover approach from Harbour Energy led by former RoyalDutch Shell executive Linda Cook.

Harbour is preparing to make another cash offer of about $5.30 a share within weeks,the AFR reported, without citing sources.

"An opening offer is rarely the best or last action andcould also awaken any number of interested parties from a slumber - think Woodside Petroleum for starters," according to a research note from Morningstar.

A potential bid from Harbour may also flush out a rival offer from Santos' largest shareholders, ENN Group and Hony Capital, Evans & Partners analyst Andrew Hines wrote in a note Thursday.

ENN and Hony hold about a 15 per cent stake in Santos and in June agreed to coordinate investments with the Australian explorer in upstream gas and LNG production.

Santos rejected the non-binding proposal received in August from Harbour because the price of $4.55 a share "was inadequate and funding was uncertain," CEO Kevin Gallagher said.

Harbour is a joint venture between embattled commodity trader Noble Group and resources investment house EIG Global Partners.

Is this the state with a restriction on drilling and most things hydrocarbon in their energy policy? Just a whiff of socialism/ paternalism.

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"Every long-term security is nothing more than a claim on some expected future stream of cash that will be delivered into the hands of investors over time. For a given stream of expected future cash payments, the higher the price investors pay today for that stream of cash, the lower the long-term return they will achieve on their investment over time." - Dr John Hussman

"If I had even the slightest grasp upon my own faculties, I would not make essays, I would make decisions." ― Michel de Montaigne

US player Harbour Energy's ambitions for an $11 billion acquisition of Santos have run into political hot water as South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis signalled the state would seek to prevent a foreign takeover

Is Santos in play? There are reports that a US consortium has made an approach to the board - $5.30, all cash.

Money is still cheap.

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"Every long-term security is nothing more than a claim on some expected future stream of cash that will be delivered into the hands of investors over time. For a given stream of expected future cash payments, the higher the price investors pay today for that stream of cash, the lower the long-term return they will achieve on their investment over time." - Dr John Hussman

"If I had even the slightest grasp upon my own faculties, I would not make essays, I would make decisions." ― Michel de Montaigne

Ethylene, a colourless, flammable gas is arguably the most important petrochemical on the planet -- and much of it comes from the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast. Ethylene is one of the big reasons the damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey in the chemical communities along the Gulf of Mexico is likely to ripple through U.S. manufacturing of essential items from milk jugs to mattresses.

"Ethylene really is the major petrochemical that impacts the entire industry," said Chirag Kothari, an analyst at consultant Nexant.

Texas alone produces nearly three-quarters of the country's supply of one of the most basic chemical building blocks. Ethylene is the foundation for making plastics essential to U.S. consumer and industrial goods, feeding into car parts used by Detroit and diapers sold by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

With Harvey's floods shutting down almost all the state's plants, 61 percent of U.S. ethylene capacity has been closed, according to PetroChemWire. Production may not return to pre-storm levels until November, according to Jefferies.

"Every long-term security is nothing more than a claim on some expected future stream of cash that will be delivered into the hands of investors over time. For a given stream of expected future cash payments, the higher the price investors pay today for that stream of cash, the lower the long-term return they will achieve on their investment over time." - Dr John Hussman

"If I had even the slightest grasp upon my own faculties, I would not make essays, I would make decisions." ― Michel de Montaigne

activity is ramping up in the oil and gas space, with some analysts betting Santos has shaken off its woes and now be on the hunt for acquisitions, potentially targeting Quadrant Energy.

The West Australian oil and gas provider is owned predominantly by Brookfield and Macquarie Capital, and is working with Goldman Sachs about a potential sale.

The theory around the market is that Santos should make a play at the $4 billion-odd asset as Santos comes under increasing pressure to secure future opportunities for earnings growth to appease its investors.

This is after it hit rough waters in 2015 and was forced to sell assets and raise equity in a desperate attempt to drive down debt.

Santos now has its costs under control, and non-core assets, such as projects in Asia, are on the market, with a sale potentially freeing up capital for the Adelaide-based resources firm to embark on a deal.

The oil and gas producer looked at the business when it was up for sale before and Santosís investment bank Deutsche is believed to be weighing the merits of an acquisition of Quadrant.

Speculation mounts that the entire company may not be for sale, with private equity firm Brookfield believed to be a reluctant seller and Macquarie thought to be the party searching for an exit.

However, those close to the transaction maintain that all Quadrantís shareholders are on the same page when it comes to a sale.

It is thought Santos needs to keep the faith of its investors so would probably have limited risk appetite for any acquisition. The theory is that buying Quadrant would be a low-risk opportunity and difficult for Santos to get wrong.

Quadrant comprises assets mainly in the Exmouth and Carnarvon basins off the coast of north Western Australia and is the largest single contributor to the WA domestic gas market.

The Australian

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"Every long-term security is nothing more than a claim on some expected future stream of cash that will be delivered into the hands of investors over time. For a given stream of expected future cash payments, the higher the price investors pay today for that stream of cash, the lower the long-term return they will achieve on their investment over time." - Dr John Hussman

"If I had even the slightest grasp upon my own faculties, I would not make essays, I would make decisions." ― Michel de Montaigne

it was ugly for OIL price last night session.market seems agree with me that STO has good value at it's current price.for the long run, this one still has legs, but for short term that oil price dropped below 47.00 mark, we might see some pull back for STO.